The answer is D: the audience knows something the character or characters don't.
Dramatic irony is an important <em>stylistic device</em> usually used in movies, plays etc. with the purpose of creating situations in the plot, such as causes of conflict and their resolution, <em>which are </em><em>known only by the audience</em> even <em>before the leading characters</em>. It emphasizes and conveys emotions more effectively.
The correct answer is D. The audience knows something the character or the characters don't.
This is a pretty common literary technique used in plays and its usage goes as far back as Ancient Greece. This is especially noticeable in tragedies where the audience knows what is being plotted while the main characters do not.
